Barbecues
by One day I'll be a dinosaur
Summary: The team see Reid's OMC relationship through a series of barbecues
1. Chapter 1

It was JJ's idea. She wanted Henry and Will to be apart of her BAU family. So she invited the team, and a plus one to a barbecue. She liked the idea of Jack and Henry playing together while she and Emily eyed their men as they played caveman and argued over the grill.

The idea seemed to appeal. Kevin offered to make potato salad, Emily said she'd come stag as she was happy being by herself at the moment. Hotch brought Jack, Morgan the woman he had been dating for the past month, Amy, and Rossi brought Cassie.

Cassie was Rossi's age, she was short and was headkeeper of the owls at the zoo. Amy was Bolivian, she was in her mid-thirties and had lived in America for only ten years, she worked as an immigration lawyer and her accent kept Morgan in a state of almost contestant state of arousal.

The two women knew how important the BAU were to each other and want to make a good impress, they were nervous and it didn't help the the team was so cliquey.

Reid arrived with a man who he introduced as Ferka, a second generation Hungarian immigrant. He was average height and of average build, he was so very average looking, Morgan had a brief flash of fear when he first met him because unsubs are never more successful than when they are average. But he trusted Reid who as a fully trained FBI agent was more than capable of looking after himself.

Ferka stayed by Reid's side who gave him his full attention, his hands waving around in the air as he spoke. Intrigued as to who Ferka was, and a little embarrassed for Reid, didn't he know he was suppose to bring his girlfriend not a friend, she approached the pair.

Coming up behind Ferka she called a greeting out to them, Reid smiled and wave at her "JJ, this is Ferka" he was still looking at the other man, "I'm so relieved you've thought to do this I've wanted to introduce you all but never quite knew how". All the while Reid still waved his arms around, he got so excited sometimes.

"So, tell me about yourself Ferka, how long have you known Spence and how did you meet?"

"Five years now", he voice had a slight accent, "we met at the supermarket, there was only one pot of live mint left and we argued over it, an old man snap it up while we were arguing, we commiserated each other over a cup of coffee."

JJ never really imagined Reid to be able to make a friend so causally, sometimes she and the team were guilty of forgetting that Reid was a profiler and knew exactly about human behaviour, he may not conform but he knew what he was doing.

Ferka went on to explain that he was a stay a home dad and that his estranged wife, a successful historical romance author, supported him and their child. It was her weekend with their daughter, Rebeka, and so sadly she missed this weekend's barbecue but they hoped to bring her to the next.

JJ was shocked, Reid and Ferka must be really close, seeing that Morgan was encouraging Jack and Henry to play with their football inside she her excused herself from the pair. Scolding the three boys and receiving promises that they'll behave JJ went to join Prentiss by the grill. She had shooed away Hotch and Will and the food was actually being cooked properly now.

"They're dating you know, the way they stand so close, the lovey dovey eyes, the small smile they have only for the other, sickeningly madly in love." Prentiss was gazing at Reid and Ferka who was now joined by Cassi who seemed to be doing an impression of an owl. JJ looked at them and saw it, how could you miss it, it was adorable they way they kept finding any excuse to touch. Hotch suddenly spoke, causing JJ to jump "they live together too". Prentiss hummed in agreement and then laughed, Kevin and Rossi were arm wrestling while Garcia and Amy were placing bets.


	2. Chapter 2

Morgan hosted the next barbecue. He had just finished fixing up a property and before he started to rent it out he wanted to make use of the large kitchen and the seemingly never ending back garden.

The same couples returned and were all a bit more comfortable with each other. Amy and Garcia had started flirting with each other and Kevin and Will started to try to get the children into Magic: The Gathering.

Ferka had Rebeka that weekend and was delighted to bring her along. She was nervous, lots of strangers and she wasn't confident in her English. Reid had explained that at home they spoke either ASL or Hungarian. The team had of course noticed that Ferka was deaf, that Reid lived with him, and that Ferka was a stay at home dad, but that had never translated into Reid living with a small child.

It was when Ferka's wife, Ildi, fell pregnant that they accepted that they weren't really a happy couple. Ferka met Reid and would later joke that it was love at first sight, he finally knew what true love was. Reid was just coming out of his drug use and knew he would now face his addiction everyday. He was cautious about starting a new relationship, and was honest with Ferka from the beginning, but Ferka had no qualms about Reid and his newborn.

They moved in together shortly after Rebeka's first birthday. And they lived like the classic cerealbox family. One of them stayed home with their adorable child and the other went to work.

Reid was never sure how to approach the BAU team about his relationship. The team knew he was pansexual but he was never quite ready to invite six other people into his relationship. Besides it was somewhat of a relief to have something so far removed from work.

The barbecues were perfect though, he could introduce his family to his family in a safe relaxed environment, realisticly they needed to meet so that all could have a rounded view of Reid as a person and in case anything should ever happen.

Rebeka was wearing her dungarees and was excited at the prospect of the trees she could climb, Morgan had warned Hotch and JJ about the trees in case they wanted to discourage their boys. Reid and Ferka loved to see Rebeka outside and playing so they encouraged her as much as possible. In fact it wasn't long until Reid joined her in the trees and they were throwing pine cones at the others.

They were ordered to stop by Hotch when one landed in his drink. Jack was incredibly please to see his dad in hero mode, taking charge.

Morgan had bought a giant fish but had left it in the open air when he had gone to let the first guests in, this resulted in it being stolen by a cat. Not in the mood for going to the store Morgan ordered in curry and Reid gave an explanation to everyone why it was so unlikely to get a beef curry. The spontaneous lecture was accompanied with ASL and the odd Hungarian word when Rebeka looked confused.

It was a drunk Rossi who asked as to why they didn't speak English at home, "Rebeka's mother is Hungarian, and she's young enough to be able to pick up languages easily, she's never had trouble at school, to be honest though we are mainly exclusively talking in sign language, but I think that's mainly because Ferka has a fetish for my hands, he calls them sinful and nothing will make him moan more than when I" Rossi promptly interrupted, "you can share too much Kid," missing the glint that meant Reid was teasing Rossi hurried away to get more biryani.

Morgan was glad that he had ignored Garcia's advice to hire out a bucking bronco. He and Hotch spent the afternoon just watching the team and enjoying seeing them carefree and happy. Their peace was broken by Henry and a water pistol who ran around screaming when Prentiss tried to disarm him. Suddenly there were water bombs flying around, Morgan wasn't sure who produced them but whoever it was was expecting a lot of sex and soon.

It was an idyllic afternoon, the act of just relaxing with their colleagues released more stress than trying to unwind on their own. Each still appreciated their privacy and had a circle of relationships outside their sphere of work which they fiercely protected but it was still nice to socialise with their team mates.

Hotch offered to host the next time, apparently Beth wanted to cook up a Greek feast for everyone.


	3. Chapter 3

Beth was lovely, she presented herself to the team well. They were all protective of Hotch, with the tragic disaster that was his marriage and how it ended they worried he would never open himself up to love again. And here he was happy and laughing and smiling. The team still kept an eye on Beth but they didn't make things difficult for her.

She was an excellent Greek cook, she had spent a semester abroad in Thessaloiki and learnt while there, Reid took up much of her time talking about it, he had always regretted that he had never had the chance to do so himself.

Rebeka was again with her mother, JJ and Will seeing this really wanted to make their relationship work. While they were no where near breaking up they were having a rough bump. Seeing how you wouldn't have your child with you all time was a heartbreaking idea to them. They knew that lots of children spilt their time between parents and were perfectly happy but to see it in action with one of their close friends and they knew Henry would always be a driving force in their relationship, holding it together.

Jack was running around showing off his home and toys to Henry and Prentiss, she was fascinated by how many toys he had that would light up and not much else. She sneaked away when she found a yo-yo, she wanted to show Garcia her mad skills.

Derek who was thoroughly enjoying the stuffed vine leaves was outraged when a yo-yo hit him on the back of the head. He turned around but everybody was acting innocent. Unfortunately Amy wasn't with him today, she had an urgent case, and so he had no one to rely on to give him an honest answer. He spent the rest of the afternoon interrogating people. He went home none the wiser but with a new yo-yo.

Rossi and Kevin sat with their feet in a paddling pool enjoying companionable silence and acting like old men.

Cassie was talking with Ferka. She and Rossi were starting to get serious and the time he was spending away was beginning to get noticeable. Ferka was the person in the longest relationship with a team member and she wanted to know how he did it.

"He writes to me everyday that he's away," Ferka explained, "it's not the same but I know he's thinking about me. It was harder at first because we don't phone, I don't like to wear my hearing aid at home, and I've never been comfortable with phones, hearing his voice wasn't important to me. But now we skype. That way all three of us can talk together, Spen will tell Rees a story and I'll cuddle her, one I've put her to bed we'll put on a show for each other.

We can't always do it, Spen needs to focus on the case or it will be the wrong time it is all go for him, that's why the letters. It is hard, I miss him so much and I know he misses us. What helps is that Spen never brings his work home with him. He is able to do all his files at the office and that means when he comes home we know we have his undivided attention."

Most of what Ferka was saying was just common sense, Cassie just needed to hear it from someone who was making it work. Their schedules were so up in the air, the last two planned dates for this get together had to be cancelled because the team was away.

Cassie was luckier because she was used to time alone, she had a life independent of David so while she might miss him she could survive without him. He suspected that Ferka's life was fine without Reid that he didn't need him, he wanted him, an vis versa. They had chosen each other and by the looks of it where very happy with their choice.


	4. Chapter 4

The last barbecue was held at Rossi's house.

JJ and Will was there with Henry and his children, he had them that week and loved the chance to include them in the BAU half of their family. JJ and Will had moved to New Orleans a little over ten years ago, where JJ was head of the field office. The team teased her for starting develop that distinctive drawling accent.

Morgan had brought his partner of seven years Victoria, an ICU doctor, she had been born male and they weren't legally allowed to marry, so Morgan had entered into politics and was currently a Congressman, he was still saving the world just doing so looking fine in a suit.

Garcia and Kevin had married and decided having children wasn't for them. Kevin headed the Bureau's IT department while Garcia had been legally banned from ever touching a computer again and so was now a full time councillor.

Prentiss was away with Interpol but she phoned to talk to everyone, upset that she missed the barbecue, but they understood, she had a job to do. She was considered their best agent and she perfectly content with never settling down with someone, she was too free to be tethered to one person.

Hotch brought Beth, and their two daughters, Andy and Lettice. Jack had died three years earlier in car crash in Madrid, where he had gone for his honeymoon, his husband and their new adopted daughter had died too. Hotch was still unit chief at the BAU,loving both his job and his family.

Rossi was enjoying retirement with Cassie and was hosting this last party before the two of them left to join an expedition to find new species of owls.

Reid had of course brought Ferka. The two where celebrating thirty years together and were still sickeningly in love. They could hold whole conversations in one look and always just knew when the other entered a room. It wasn't rare to just catch one of them staring at the other goofy grin plastered on his face.

Reid had left the FBI when Ferka had been diagnosed with skin cancer and remained at home after he was given the all clear five years later. During that time Reid had become a popular Mills and Boon author. Which gave the couple lots of time for each other and travel.

Rebeka was with them and currently single, she had become a professional rock climber and held numerous world records and gold medals.

It was a bitter-sweet day, remembering those who couldn't be there, the struggles they had all had to over come, and saying goodbye to another member of their family.

Many of them hadn't been together for years. And JJ was so pleased to see Reid and Ferka were still so very much in love. To her they were the embodiment of the soulmate ideal. They just fit and she wanted them to be together for ever and ever and always after that.

Rossi was hugging Hotch, Cassie teasing Morgan for his latest TV appearance, Reid and Ferka were snuggled up together, while Garcia was showing the kids how to really bounce.

Everybody was enjoying good food and good memories when the gas pipe exploded killing them all.


	5. Chapter 5

Barbecues in heaven are completely vegetarian, but you don't mind because you're in heaven. The funny thing about heaven is that all religions are right and wrong. This paradox is too mindboggling for the living so you don't get to find out until you die. The team suspected that Spencer had his suspicions what with when understanding dawned upon them and he went "aha, I knew it".

Everyone was invited to Spencer's cloud, which for the purposes of the event looked like a school gym. Dodge ball with wings, clouds and being incorporeal was actually a lot of fun. The vegetarian feast was delicious, Spencer had kept learning once up in heaven.

Aaron and Jack's reunion had been heartbreaking, and it became heart shattering when Haley came over, hugged Aaron and thanked him for raising their son so well. Derek and his dad played dodge ball singing acapella together causing everyone to swoon and certain people to called out for them to see if they could move their hips like Elvis too.

When Elle and Emily joined them everyone were happy to see them so old. It was also great to see how well they got on together. David enjoyed heaven because his favourite musicals were always playing- with the cast he wanted- and because he could get away with eating fluff straight out the jar.

Penelope found Ada Lovelace and they became fast friends. She and Kevin had also found Batman, they didn't question why a fictional character was in heaven, Spencer had it explained it with "just because they're not real doesn't mean they're not real."

Jennifer enjoyed heaven because she finally had time to take back up sport. She and Will could often be found playing together, laughing, often ending up in a tickle war.

Meanwhile Reid and Ferka were especially pleased to find that the mile high club had nothing on heaven.


End file.
